really.... love her. a lot. its going to kill me when i have to leave. its like having an aunt or a big sister!
this afternoon we made bomboloni (like really amazing homemade donuts) together. she fried and i sugared. then we had some people over to eat them and we chatted with them and played with the guest dog.
then she complained to me about the twins and how she needs to scappare (escape). all night she was on them about how they always say, "no, mamma, i'll do it later, no later! one minute!! wait! hang on! in a little bit!!" especially when it comes to preparing their zaini (backpacks). lord only knows why its such a pain to pack a backpack..... i think i must be missing something!!
just now after i swept the floor and scrubbed all the sugar off the counter, i explained that i should go upstairs to finish some homework, to which she said, "oh yes me too, i'm following you and getting away from these little boys!" as she was walking up the stairs she yelled to them, "ragazzi!!! gli zaini!!" to which i said, "un attimo!!!" (one minute!) and then she said, "aspetta!" (wait!) and then i finished, "DOPO!!!" (after!!!). then we cracked up and went our separate ways to relax and read and do some work.
it feels good to be here.
i am making penne with vodka sauce this week! but shhhh, don't tell the boys! the vodka part is a secret or else they won't eat it!!!
xo
Sunday, February 28, 2010
part two of random ramblings
Saturday
Fabulous day!! I wore a tiny little light sweater thing and flats and walked around all day in the 60 degree sun! It was incredible!
After breakfast and such, I headed into the center to go to the San Lorenzo market where I bought my very own leather jacket!! Its gorgeous! And yes, it was probably overpriced initially (350 euros) but after talking with the man for awhile and impressing him with my Italian and telling him all about what I study, etc. he sold it to me for 130 euros! AKA $177 when it should have been about $476 - not too shabby right???
After dinner host mamma and I looked through some more maps and photos and magazines and things and talked about movies and more places we would like to go. Then I went and watched the soccer game with the twins and host dad while looking through some really cool magazines (have I mentioned that we have HUNDREDS of house and travel and vacation and architecture magazines????) These were my primary findings:
Fabulous day!! I wore a tiny little light sweater thing and flats and walked around all day in the 60 degree sun! It was incredible!
After breakfast and such, I headed into the center to go to the San Lorenzo market where I bought my very own leather jacket!! Its gorgeous! And yes, it was probably overpriced initially (350 euros) but after talking with the man for awhile and impressing him with my Italian and telling him all about what I study, etc. he sold it to me for 130 euros! AKA $177 when it should have been about $476 - not too shabby right???
http://www.graftlab.com/
http://images.google.com/images?client=safari&rls=en&q=aqua+tower+chicago&oe=UTF-8&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=_I-JS-DuCs7__QazjOzpBg&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=4&ved=0CCgQsAQwAw
http://ammos.it/web08/pagprova.htm
I love being with my host parents.... maybe I will go to mass with them in the morning.... after I make pancakes of course!!!!
So far today
No mass! We didn't make it..... as usual! I did make pancakes though! And we used up the last of the mix.... I guess I will have to start making them from scratch! After breakfast Silvia invited me to go for their usual Sunday passeggiata (little walk) to the Piazza where their church is and then to get coffee and pick up chicken for dinner. Filippo stayed home to do homework (yeah right....) so it was just me and Lorenzo and the host parentals. We stopped and talked to just about everyone we passed on the street, walked to the church, greeted some more people, got some cappuccino, and headed under the train tracks to another piazza I didn't even know existed to go to the rosticceria (rotisserie) to buy some chicken parts. Yum. In a few minutes I am going to do my translation homework then make some more lists, finish planning Isadora's bridal shower, dream about life a little, and then watch the amazing 1999 version of Alice in Wonderland and possibly Nine! Perfection! (Did I mention that the NEW Alice in Wonderland is coming to Pistoia - about 40 minutes away - on Wednesday and Thursday and therefore after class on Thursday we are SO going to see it!!!)
Baci a tutti!! I miss you all!!!
Saturday, February 27, 2010
a bit of random babbling
I don't really have anything in particular to share but I am in a blogging mood and therefore I am just going to go for it and chit-chat about various things.
Friday
Friday morning I had my university class (which remains continues to be amazing I might add) and then I headed home for the afternoon (after picking up magical medicine at the pharmacy). I did some homework, watched some tv online, organized my room, etc. Nothing particularly amazing. Until! I had a fabulous night with my host family!
After dinner, host mamma and I made some chamomile tea with orange zest and honey (amazing by the way!) and looked through some magazines together. She told me about all sorts of cool places to go in Italy and all the beautiful hotels they have stayed at and all the therapeutic natural hot springs nearby. I must say.... it would be awfully nice to live the life they live!! They've been so many places!! Fiji, Bali, Hawaii, all sorts of other islands, Morocco, Egypt, France, Spain, the U.S., Switzerland, Mexico, Greece, everyone you'd ever want to go - they've been there!
Then I meandered into the living room to sit with host dad and broskies who were watching the History Channel. There was a show all about the Air France flight, the Concorde, that burned and crashed in 2000. It was very sad..... I didn't really even know anything about it but now I am pretty well educated and it pretty much broke my heart to see interviews of people who were minding their own business and driving to work when suddenly there was a plane in flames 30 meters above their car.... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_France_Flight_4590
Speaking of flights, we are working on fixing my flight home. When I came here, we bought a round-trip ticket from September to the summer, but we weren't sure when I would be coming home so we booked the flight as far out as we could which is April 14th or so. Unfortunately, all the cheapest seats (equivalent to what we bought at first) for all the flights for the week of May 17th (when I would like to come home) are sold out. All of them! All week! So not only do we need to pay the $200 fee for changing the ticket, we need to pay almost another $300 to cover the price difference in tickets! How absurd!!!!!
I am feeling funny about going home.... I want to be home and I want to work and be with friends and family but I am going to be so heartbroken to leave here..... I told my host family when I was thinking of leaving and they all looked so shocked because they thought I would be here until June..... I am torn!! I wouldn't have anything to do here because I won't have much money left.... and I want to be home in Vermont... I guess no matter when I go home I will be heartbroken..... I think I will come back to Florence for a month or so as a graduation present to myself in a year and a half (WHAT?!?! Can you believe that?!?! A year and a half!!!) Or maybe I will come work here for a bit!! Only time will tell I suppose!
As for jobs at home... I am hoping to work at the Reservoir a decent amount like last summer and I am looking for other options just in case I can't get enough hours there. I have emailed probably close to 20 restaurants with my resume and cover letter and so far I have one option and a possible interview in May. Sigh. Real life. Yuck. On another job-related note - Gabe accepted a job working in the Lincoln Labs at MIT!!!! Congrats!! Its a pretty incredible opportunity.... even if it does mean he will be living in Worcester for the summer.... a little upsetting, but worth it in the long run!! (He will be here in Italialand in precisely 10 days!).
I think tomorrow I will do some futzing and some shopping.... It's supposed to be AMAZING. And I want to think about something to cook for my host family for dinner this week..... And I want to find some dresses for my birthday and Isadora's bridal shower which I need to finish planning.... Oh the to-do lists!!!!
A domani!!! Baci e abbracci!
P.S. Booked a flight to London to see Alessandra!! The day I get home from Barcelona and Madrid with Breana I am turning right back around at the Pisa airport and heading to England!!
Friday
Friday morning I had my university class (which remains continues to be amazing I might add) and then I headed home for the afternoon (after picking up magical medicine at the pharmacy). I did some homework, watched some tv online, organized my room, etc. Nothing particularly amazing. Until! I had a fabulous night with my host family!
After dinner, host mamma and I made some chamomile tea with orange zest and honey (amazing by the way!) and looked through some magazines together. She told me about all sorts of cool places to go in Italy and all the beautiful hotels they have stayed at and all the therapeutic natural hot springs nearby. I must say.... it would be awfully nice to live the life they live!! They've been so many places!! Fiji, Bali, Hawaii, all sorts of other islands, Morocco, Egypt, France, Spain, the U.S., Switzerland, Mexico, Greece, everyone you'd ever want to go - they've been there!
Then I meandered into the living room to sit with host dad and broskies who were watching the History Channel. There was a show all about the Air France flight, the Concorde, that burned and crashed in 2000. It was very sad..... I didn't really even know anything about it but now I am pretty well educated and it pretty much broke my heart to see interviews of people who were minding their own business and driving to work when suddenly there was a plane in flames 30 meters above their car.... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_France_Flight_4590
Speaking of flights, we are working on fixing my flight home. When I came here, we bought a round-trip ticket from September to the summer, but we weren't sure when I would be coming home so we booked the flight as far out as we could which is April 14th or so. Unfortunately, all the cheapest seats (equivalent to what we bought at first) for all the flights for the week of May 17th (when I would like to come home) are sold out. All of them! All week! So not only do we need to pay the $200 fee for changing the ticket, we need to pay almost another $300 to cover the price difference in tickets! How absurd!!!!!
I am feeling funny about going home.... I want to be home and I want to work and be with friends and family but I am going to be so heartbroken to leave here..... I told my host family when I was thinking of leaving and they all looked so shocked because they thought I would be here until June..... I am torn!! I wouldn't have anything to do here because I won't have much money left.... and I want to be home in Vermont... I guess no matter when I go home I will be heartbroken..... I think I will come back to Florence for a month or so as a graduation present to myself in a year and a half (WHAT?!?! Can you believe that?!?! A year and a half!!!) Or maybe I will come work here for a bit!! Only time will tell I suppose!
As for jobs at home... I am hoping to work at the Reservoir a decent amount like last summer and I am looking for other options just in case I can't get enough hours there. I have emailed probably close to 20 restaurants with my resume and cover letter and so far I have one option and a possible interview in May. Sigh. Real life. Yuck. On another job-related note - Gabe accepted a job working in the Lincoln Labs at MIT!!!! Congrats!! Its a pretty incredible opportunity.... even if it does mean he will be living in Worcester for the summer.... a little upsetting, but worth it in the long run!! (He will be here in Italialand in precisely 10 days!).
I think tomorrow I will do some futzing and some shopping.... It's supposed to be AMAZING. And I want to think about something to cook for my host family for dinner this week..... And I want to find some dresses for my birthday and Isadora's bridal shower which I need to finish planning.... Oh the to-do lists!!!!
A domani!!! Baci e abbracci!
P.S. Booked a flight to London to see Alessandra!! The day I get home from Barcelona and Madrid with Breana I am turning right back around at the Pisa airport and heading to England!!
Sunday, February 21, 2010
and the world gets even smaller.
this weekend my best friend from home (alessandra, who is studying in london this semester) came to visit me in florence with her best friend, kaltra. they stayed with kaltra's friend from home, eileen, who is spending this semester here. we spent the whole weekend with my best friend from smith, breana. kaltra and alex's good friends from london were also here. along with about 15 other people that we knew from various other places. it was a weekend of best friends.
it was almost surreal to have my best from from vermont and my best friend from smith with me in italy of all places. surreal and very fantastic.
friday afternoon i wandered around with alex and kaltra and eileen, looking at piazza signoria and the duomo and the smith sede and various other things. we ate some delicious gelato and then headed home to get ready for the night. we met up with breana and lots of other smith girls to have aperitivo at moyo. i had a delicious fruity drink (turns out it was not a good idea....) and yummy snacks. afterward, we wanted to go sing karaoke at the american bar called the red garter but no one was there yet. breana, alex, kaltra and i headed back to eileen's apartment to hang out for a bit before trying again. when we got back to the red garter, we snagged a strawberry daquiri and sang two songs: first the spice girls with some other american girls and then n'sync with some american boys. after we had enough of that, we met up with kaltra and eileen and went to 21, a discoteca, where we danced our bums off til 3:30am.... oops!
saturday, after sleeping in of course, breana and i went and met up with alex and the others to wander around the san lorenzo market before dinner. alex and i bought very cute rings (after MUCH haggling) and breana and i bought little flower-printed scarves like we've always wanted. oh, and alex bought a little leather bag just like mine and breana's so now we all match! for dinner alex, breana and i wandered over to my FAVORITE restaurant in florence, i tarocchi (the tarot cards) where i had a greek salad followed by AMAZING roast beef and roasted potatoes. so good. alex had carbonara and breana had delicious penne in spicy tomato sauce. after checking in and stopping by various places to see all the various people we knew in florence, we headed to braumiester for the usual saturday night beer (well in this case, raspberry lambic - yum!)
this morning, the three of us met up to have american brunch at the diner. soooo good. i had eggs benedict and they each had chocolate chip pancakes. we spent the rest of the day wandering florence, going to the socks and tights store, popping in the anthropology museum, and wandering to santa maria novella and over the arno to see pitti palace. finally we had t say goodbye and watch everyone pile into the cab and head to the airport to go back to london. it was very sad..... good thing sometime in the next 6 weeks or so i will be heading over to london to see them all again!!!!
overall it was a FABULOUS weekend! and it made the world feel very small in the most wonderful of ways!
off to do some translation! baci e abbracci as always!!
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
untitled
sometimes it just hits me how completely pazzesca it is that i am just chilling over here in italy for a year. like whaaaattt am i thinking?
generally i forget that i am in italy, which i know is an absolutely terrible thing to say but it is the truth.... after working so hard to adjust and settle in, and after succeeding to do so, its difficult to keep in mind all the time how blessed i am to be here and how completely wacky it is. and i mean wacky in the best way possible.
to think that i live with a family and feel so much a part of them after only having met them in september/october is an incredible thing. although i can't wait to be home in vermont, working at restaurants, seeing my friends, going out, etc., i am going to be completely heartbroken when i say adieu to my beautiful florentine family.
i love it here. as i said earlier, i realized today that the spring-y smell of florence smells like home to me - a feeling i wasn't sure i was ever going to have.
as i was sweeping the floor after dinner (as i do every night without fail unless my host dad races me to the broom and wins), i was struck by how comfortable i am here. it's still hard to speak italian all the time and i am far from speaking as well as i would like, but its safe here. my host mom and i clean up the kitchen together every night, sometimes chatting about little things here and there. even when we aren't talking, it feels good. it's my house. my italian house. and whenever i return to italy next (and all the times afterward) i will call and say hello and stop in for a weekend, i will introduce them to my husband and my children, and i will somehow, even if just via skype, see my little italian bros grow up. (speaking of which, i got to listen/help lorenzo with his english vocabulary tonight and it was probably one of the cutest things ever..... eat? it? eeeeeeiittt??? iiitt???? eeaaaaat???? to do? to go??? to go in bicycle? so cute.)
anyway. that's my little stream of consciousness for now!
a dopo!!!
generally i forget that i am in italy, which i know is an absolutely terrible thing to say but it is the truth.... after working so hard to adjust and settle in, and after succeeding to do so, its difficult to keep in mind all the time how blessed i am to be here and how completely wacky it is. and i mean wacky in the best way possible.
to think that i live with a family and feel so much a part of them after only having met them in september/october is an incredible thing. although i can't wait to be home in vermont, working at restaurants, seeing my friends, going out, etc., i am going to be completely heartbroken when i say adieu to my beautiful florentine family.
i love it here. as i said earlier, i realized today that the spring-y smell of florence smells like home to me - a feeling i wasn't sure i was ever going to have.
as i was sweeping the floor after dinner (as i do every night without fail unless my host dad races me to the broom and wins), i was struck by how comfortable i am here. it's still hard to speak italian all the time and i am far from speaking as well as i would like, but its safe here. my host mom and i clean up the kitchen together every night, sometimes chatting about little things here and there. even when we aren't talking, it feels good. it's my house. my italian house. and whenever i return to italy next (and all the times afterward) i will call and say hello and stop in for a weekend, i will introduce them to my husband and my children, and i will somehow, even if just via skype, see my little italian bros grow up. (speaking of which, i got to listen/help lorenzo with his english vocabulary tonight and it was probably one of the cutest things ever..... eat? it? eeeeeeiittt??? iiitt???? eeaaaaat???? to do? to go??? to go in bicycle? so cute.)
anyway. that's my little stream of consciousness for now!
a dopo!!!
a breath of fresh air
It smells like spring.
I have come to realize that the smell of Florence is very comforting. Very distinct, but very comforting. It smells especially lovely (minus the occasional dog mess, etc.....) right now because it is sunny and warm and breezy and amazing. It feels like home.
Today I successfully went to my first REAL class at the University of Florence - Teorie e Tecniche del Linguaggio Televisivo - Theories and Techniques of Television Language. Yes, it sounds TERRIBLE, I know. But! It was GREAT! There were only 4 other students..... very frightening and intimidating!! But they were all really nice and the professor was AMAZING! This really sweet man who was very excited to have an American in his class. Naturally he asked me 100 questions about The Godfather (which I haven't seen.....) and 24 and Gossip Girls and actors and different things.... not one of which I had a good answer for... I guess I am not a good enough American = )
Anyway! Life's great over here in Italialand. I am going to test out a few more classes next week and then have a set schedule FINALLY.
Alessandraaa is coming this Friday and will be here til Sunday and I am soooo very excited! Lots of great things to do including karaoke, some bar-hopping, a discoteca, a day trip to Pisa, aperitivo, pizza, etc.!
More updates soon - BACIONE!
I have come to realize that the smell of Florence is very comforting. Very distinct, but very comforting. It smells especially lovely (minus the occasional dog mess, etc.....) right now because it is sunny and warm and breezy and amazing. It feels like home.
Today I successfully went to my first REAL class at the University of Florence - Teorie e Tecniche del Linguaggio Televisivo - Theories and Techniques of Television Language. Yes, it sounds TERRIBLE, I know. But! It was GREAT! There were only 4 other students..... very frightening and intimidating!! But they were all really nice and the professor was AMAZING! This really sweet man who was very excited to have an American in his class. Naturally he asked me 100 questions about The Godfather (which I haven't seen.....) and 24 and Gossip Girls and actors and different things.... not one of which I had a good answer for... I guess I am not a good enough American = )
Anyway! Life's great over here in Italialand. I am going to test out a few more classes next week and then have a set schedule FINALLY.
Alessandraaa is coming this Friday and will be here til Sunday and I am soooo very excited! Lots of great things to do including karaoke, some bar-hopping, a discoteca, a day trip to Pisa, aperitivo, pizza, etc.!
More updates soon - BACIONE!
Sunday, February 14, 2010
carnevale in venezia
a beautiful thing.
yesterday i woke up at 5:30am to hop on a 7am train to head to venice for carnevale. best idea ever. even if we did get home at 1:20am after having walked pretty much the entire surface area of venice all day long!
since i must move on to my (really fun and nerdily amazing) homework for translation, i will give you a brief summary of carnevale in venice:
bright, colorful, loud, crowded, happy; tons of gorgeous elaborate costumes paired with couples, teens, adults, families and babies wearing more americanized costumes such as police officers, indians and doctors; little skits and people posing left and right; food everywhere; no one giving a hoot if you take pictures of their or their children; CONFETTI; masks - soooo many masks ranging from creepy to incredible to silly; lots of laughing; tourists from EVERYWHERE!
it was great pretty much.
just for the record, it is thought that carnevale in venice started in 1296..... wow. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnival_of_Venice
yesterday i woke up at 5:30am to hop on a 7am train to head to venice for carnevale. best idea ever. even if we did get home at 1:20am after having walked pretty much the entire surface area of venice all day long!
since i must move on to my (really fun and nerdily amazing) homework for translation, i will give you a brief summary of carnevale in venice:
bright, colorful, loud, crowded, happy; tons of gorgeous elaborate costumes paired with couples, teens, adults, families and babies wearing more americanized costumes such as police officers, indians and doctors; little skits and people posing left and right; food everywhere; no one giving a hoot if you take pictures of their or their children; CONFETTI; masks - soooo many masks ranging from creepy to incredible to silly; lots of laughing; tourists from EVERYWHERE!
it was great pretty much.
just for the record, it is thought that carnevale in venice started in 1296..... wow. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnival_of_Venice
we naturally had to get our faces painted
pretty!
my new mask!!
more pics here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=385790&id=500755531&l=987936ba83
Friday, February 12, 2010
a successful week in italialand
1. classes started. translation is AMAZING, opera is very interesting and i am not yet sold on cinema.
2. university of florence still hasn't posted the schedule of classes that i need to look at..... most likely taking 2 if i can fit them in my schedule so i can drop cinema. if not, then 1 that will count for anthro.
3. mailed tons of postcards, gifts and valentines.
4. have't frozen to death yet.
5. planned a long day trip to venice for tomorrow! rise and shine at 5:30am! home by midnight!
6. been babbling, chatting and watching tv more with the host fam which gets me also more attention from the little bros who like to show me card tricks and gross bugs.
7. had my interview via skype for HR and i think it went pretty well..... i'll know the first week of march! at which point i will either have an amazing suite in my house or i will enter the room lottery and pick a room soon after!
8. went to my intership today to create a game plan: start by translating lots of recipes, then onto short articles about events, chefs, winemakers, etc. and then perhaps writing my own short pieces in english! http://www.golagioconda.it/
9. very happy camper.
baci!
2. university of florence still hasn't posted the schedule of classes that i need to look at..... most likely taking 2 if i can fit them in my schedule so i can drop cinema. if not, then 1 that will count for anthro.
3. mailed tons of postcards, gifts and valentines.
4. have't frozen to death yet.
5. planned a long day trip to venice for tomorrow! rise and shine at 5:30am! home by midnight!
6. been babbling, chatting and watching tv more with the host fam which gets me also more attention from the little bros who like to show me card tricks and gross bugs.
7. had my interview via skype for HR and i think it went pretty well..... i'll know the first week of march! at which point i will either have an amazing suite in my house or i will enter the room lottery and pick a room soon after!
8. went to my intership today to create a game plan: start by translating lots of recipes, then onto short articles about events, chefs, winemakers, etc. and then perhaps writing my own short pieces in english! http://www.golagioconda.it/
9. very happy camper.
baci!
Monday, February 8, 2010
sicilia part due: the temples and the theaters
Wednesday
Wednesday was an absolutely fantastic day wandering through the ruins of Segesta and Selinunte. In this case I would say that a picture is worth far more than a thousand words. My personal favorite was, by far, the almost fully complete temple amidst the field of neon yellow flowers…. Pretty stunning….
Mamma Giovanna made us sing in one of the Greek theaters which was pretty adorable….
After seeing all the 2,000 year old beauty, we decided to try and find the beach, something made quite possible with the aid of our little stray tour dog who lead us there quite happily. We wandered the beach and collected stones and shells and then skipped back up the hill to the DiscoBus at which point we headed for Agrigento – an area of Sicily I would absolutely live in. Right on the beach, not a single tourist in sight in January, gorgeous, adorable, sweet, calm, perfect. And our hotel was incredible! A four start hotel up on a hill overlooking the ocean. And a delicious dinner with the group at said hotel – equally incredible!
Thursday
We then drove to Siracusa, naturally having another discopartyyyy!! This hotel was by far the most gorgeous and again four stars (perhaps they were avoiding the possibility of bedbugs….) We had dinner on our own so I wandered off with Breana, Alayna, Christine and many others to find a fantastic little trattoria where we ate yummy pizza, salad and beer. Afterwards, we wandered Ortigia (the old part of the city of Siracusa which is a little island) and found some delicious famous cannoli (which I do like after all!), and took some beautiful photos of the Duomo at night. Breana and I then found a Baby Yogurt (amazing frozen yogurt with fresh fruit sauces,etc.) and then headed home for a bubble bath (Breana and I had the only hotel room including those of Monica and Giovanna, which not only had a bathtub, but a bathtub with Jacuzzi jets).
Friday
Friday we visited the temples outside of Siracusa with a very, veryyy quirky guide. No one really liked her because she talked very slowly which at first seemed as though she thought we couldn’t understand Italian, but really she was just dramatic and theatrical and loved the temples and telling stories about them so she spoke in a very particular way. Breana and I thought she was sweet and very dedicated to her work. We got to see the stone quarries where slaves cut stone 2,500 years ago as well as this amazing little grotto with a really neat echo called the ear of Dionysus. We stopped by another huge Greek amphitheater where they still have Greek theater during the summer and then headed back into Siracusa to wander and find lunch. We stopped by the Duomo which is also called the Temple of Athena because it in fact has been both a Greek temple and a church many times in the last 2,500 years. Not too too long ago when there was a huge earthquake in this area of Sicily (including many cities and towns, not just Siracusa), literally the only thing left standing were the columns of this old Greek temple. Today, the columns have been filled in with walls and the entire Duomo in a combination of old Greek tradition and newer architecture – in other words, it’s beautiful and amazing and powerful.
After lunch we hopped on the bus to visit a teeny tiny Baroque city called Noto where we visited the cathedral and ate the best mandarin gelato ever! After returning back to Siracusa, we had our last dinner all together at this great little pizzeria at which point we headed back to the hotel and Breana and I had a second, extremely bubbly, bubble bath and watched Italian MTV until we fell asleep.
Saturday
Saturday morning we woke up early, ate some breakfast and headed to Taormina, a beautiful little city on top of a hill overlooking, you guessed it, the ocean. Naturally we visited another Greek theater that just so happens to look over both Mount Etna, a very active volcano currently covered in snow (yes, you can go skiing on it) and the beautiful turquoise ocean – something pretty incredible if you ask me!! And, of course, an adorable older man stood in the theater and played his harmonica for us.... Pardon the noise!
Again, pictures explain this experience much better than I ever could! After finding some lunch, we headed back to Catania with one last little disco party, sang I Just Called to Say I Love You with Gianni, said goodbye, and sadly hopped on the plane back to chilly Florence.
Saturday morning we woke up early, ate some breakfast and headed to Taormina, a beautiful little city on top of a hill overlooking, you guessed it, the ocean. Naturally we visited another Greek theater that just so happens to look over both Mount Etna, a very active volcano currently covered in snow (yes, you can go skiing on it) and the beautiful turquoise ocean – something pretty incredible if you ask me!! And, of course, an adorable older man stood in the theater and played his harmonica for us.... Pardon the noise!
Again, pictures explain this experience much better than I ever could! After finding some lunch, we headed back to Catania with one last little disco party, sang I Just Called to Say I Love You with Gianni, said goodbye, and sadly hopped on the plane back to chilly Florence.
More photos!
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=382268&id=500755531&l=d5ebd56bc9
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=382277&id=500755531&l=dab0419666
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=382279&id=500755531&l=618a84bd2b
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=382286&id=500755531&l=f4ba3f490f
I am now all settled back in Florence, doing laundry and preparing for the beginning of this semester. Just need to choose a class at the University of Florence (which won't start for a few weeks, thus giving me 4 day weekends for a little bit...) and then I am good to go! Looks like this semester is going to be FANTASTIC! And on top of that, Alessandra is coming to visit in less than 2 weeks and Gabriel will be here a month from Wednesday! And Carnivale is happening as we speak and I am most likely heading to Venice next weekend! Possibly Viareggio as well!
Baci galore!!!
sicilia part uno: traveling to palermo
Sunday
Sunday afternoon we took off for Sicily around 1:30pm. Honestly it was a very frightening flight!! It seemed as though the pilot had no idea what he was doing – the entire 15 minute take-off was horrendous! Wobbling, shaking, falling, dropping, all sorts of major turbulence! Fortunately he seemed to learn to fly as we went which made for a much easier landing, welcomed with sun and much warmer weather in general. Soon after landing we met Gianni, our incredible autista, or bus driver. As we loaded the bus and headed off from Catania toward Palermo, we found something pretty amazing – a gorgeous rainbow off in the distance over the hills of Sicily. Thank you, nonna and grandpa! Upon arriving in Palermo, we found a fantastic little hotel right on one of the main piazzas of the city, where one of the large and gorgeous theaters sat. Sunday night, I went out to dinner with Breana, Lenora and Olivia. We weren’t quite sure where to go so we approached who we thought were two policemen to ask them for a recommendation. Turns out it was a regular man talking to a police man…. A regular man who then, after giving terrible directions, offered to walk us to the restaurant, which was completely fine because it turned out it was his friend’s restaurant. He sat us down and said goodbye but about 30 seconds later, he came back in and sat at the table next to us and made small-talk/various comments in English and Italian throughout the entire dinner. Finally he left and we then left cautiously after him, hoping to not bump into him again. (Dinner was pretty good though – some terrible white wine with pasta alla siciliana – eggplant and tomato sauce – with some swordfish to follow. Not too shabby.) After dinner we wandered the cuter parts of Palermo and found a nice little pastry shop for some dessert.
Monday
Monday was kind of rainy but fortunately in the morning we were just heading up to to Monreale, a little city on a hill over Palermo, where we saw a gorgeous cathedral. Upon arriving, the sun came out! The cathedral is incredible and completely covered in mosaic – it was gorgeous!! We even got to walk through all the back stairways, outside and over the top of the cathedral essentially to look at the cloisters and the surrounding city and country from above! We then wandered the city, taking photos of cute little niches and ocean-views. Around lunch time we headed back into the city to the University of Palermo to meet some students and a professor who is friends with both Monica and Giovanna, Alessandra. We mingled awkwardly with the students and munched many various types of bread and fried dough all stuffed with prosciutto and mozzarella. We then listened to Giovanna’s presentation about a translation she did a few years ago of a short story by an immigrant who now considers herself Italian and struggles with the clash of cultures. After the presentation we drove off in the rain to the Capuchin Catacombs, where there are 8,000 embalmed bodies. Only 2,000 are visible and unfortunately we couldn’t take pictures since it was technically a cemetery, but it was pretty interesting. There were many, many of priests and monks, as well as tons of rich professionals and their children, all from the mid 1800s and later. Some were rather alarming and others, like the babies, pretty upsetting, but overall it was very interesting. Monday night we had dinner with the entire group, led by Monica and Giovanna and it was delicious! We ate lots of yummy friend things, pasta alla norma – again eggplant, then really good swordfish and potatoes, yummy SALTED bread and pistachio semifreddo (sort of like gelato but not as cold? There really isn’t any good way to explain it…)
On Tuesday’s agenda was a little tour of Palermo with Professor Alessandra as our guide. We saw a few churches and cathedrals as well as a palace/museum with another gorgeous mosaic-ed chapel and many other things such as the city’s adorable, sweet stray dogs (who were pretty attached to us for the ENTIRE day …) Tueday afternoon, after finding some yummy white pizza (called Snow White), we headed to Cefalu’ – a tiny little beach town outside Palermo. Since it isn’t yet tourist season, there was NO ONE there. We went mainly to get some cannoli (which I don’t love too much but I hear they were good!) and see the cathedral – a very pretty and adorable little one! After grabbing some tea and various goodies at a nearby pastry shop, Breana and I wandered the entire town, and helped some little pre-teen boys get their basketball back. Then we found the ocean! We also found some beach cats and adorable little boats aside the beautiful sunset! On the way home, Gianni started playing some fantastic music such as Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You and I Will Survive which naturally resulted in Monica and Giovanna starting a crazy disco party and nicknaming the bus the DiscoBus. As we rolled into Palermo, we were all on our feet singing at the top of our lungs and dancing up and down the aisles. After settling back in the hotel, I spent the evening with Alayna, Victoria, Chrysanthe, Steph, Christine, Anna and Caitlin munching Chinese food and watching part of In the Air (bootlegged, of course!). I then headed back to my room to read in bed, something I haven’t had time to do in ages!
Sunday afternoon we took off for Sicily around 1:30pm. Honestly it was a very frightening flight!! It seemed as though the pilot had no idea what he was doing – the entire 15 minute take-off was horrendous! Wobbling, shaking, falling, dropping, all sorts of major turbulence! Fortunately he seemed to learn to fly as we went which made for a much easier landing, welcomed with sun and much warmer weather in general. Soon after landing we met Gianni, our incredible autista, or bus driver. As we loaded the bus and headed off from Catania toward Palermo, we found something pretty amazing – a gorgeous rainbow off in the distance over the hills of Sicily. Thank you, nonna and grandpa! Upon arriving in Palermo, we found a fantastic little hotel right on one of the main piazzas of the city, where one of the large and gorgeous theaters sat. Sunday night, I went out to dinner with Breana, Lenora and Olivia. We weren’t quite sure where to go so we approached who we thought were two policemen to ask them for a recommendation. Turns out it was a regular man talking to a police man…. A regular man who then, after giving terrible directions, offered to walk us to the restaurant, which was completely fine because it turned out it was his friend’s restaurant. He sat us down and said goodbye but about 30 seconds later, he came back in and sat at the table next to us and made small-talk/various comments in English and Italian throughout the entire dinner. Finally he left and we then left cautiously after him, hoping to not bump into him again. (Dinner was pretty good though – some terrible white wine with pasta alla siciliana – eggplant and tomato sauce – with some swordfish to follow. Not too shabby.) After dinner we wandered the cuter parts of Palermo and found a nice little pastry shop for some dessert.
Monday
Monday was kind of rainy but fortunately in the morning we were just heading up to to Monreale, a little city on a hill over Palermo, where we saw a gorgeous cathedral. Upon arriving, the sun came out! The cathedral is incredible and completely covered in mosaic – it was gorgeous!! We even got to walk through all the back stairways, outside and over the top of the cathedral essentially to look at the cloisters and the surrounding city and country from above! We then wandered the city, taking photos of cute little niches and ocean-views. Around lunch time we headed back into the city to the University of Palermo to meet some students and a professor who is friends with both Monica and Giovanna, Alessandra. We mingled awkwardly with the students and munched many various types of bread and fried dough all stuffed with prosciutto and mozzarella. We then listened to Giovanna’s presentation about a translation she did a few years ago of a short story by an immigrant who now considers herself Italian and struggles with the clash of cultures. After the presentation we drove off in the rain to the Capuchin Catacombs, where there are 8,000 embalmed bodies. Only 2,000 are visible and unfortunately we couldn’t take pictures since it was technically a cemetery, but it was pretty interesting. There were many, many of priests and monks, as well as tons of rich professionals and their children, all from the mid 1800s and later. Some were rather alarming and others, like the babies, pretty upsetting, but overall it was very interesting. Monday night we had dinner with the entire group, led by Monica and Giovanna and it was delicious! We ate lots of yummy friend things, pasta alla norma – again eggplant, then really good swordfish and potatoes, yummy SALTED bread and pistachio semifreddo (sort of like gelato but not as cold? There really isn’t any good way to explain it…) 
Tuesday
On Tuesday’s agenda was a little tour of Palermo with Professor Alessandra as our guide. We saw a few churches and cathedrals as well as a palace/museum with another gorgeous mosaic-ed chapel and many other things such as the city’s adorable, sweet stray dogs (who were pretty attached to us for the ENTIRE day …) Tueday afternoon, after finding some yummy white pizza (called Snow White), we headed to Cefalu’ – a tiny little beach town outside Palermo. Since it isn’t yet tourist season, there was NO ONE there. We went mainly to get some cannoli (which I don’t love too much but I hear they were good!) and see the cathedral – a very pretty and adorable little one! After grabbing some tea and various goodies at a nearby pastry shop, Breana and I wandered the entire town, and helped some little pre-teen boys get their basketball back. Then we found the ocean! We also found some beach cats and adorable little boats aside the beautiful sunset! On the way home, Gianni started playing some fantastic music such as Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You and I Will Survive which naturally resulted in Monica and Giovanna starting a crazy disco party and nicknaming the bus the DiscoBus. As we rolled into Palermo, we were all on our feet singing at the top of our lungs and dancing up and down the aisles. After settling back in the hotel, I spent the evening with Alayna, Victoria, Chrysanthe, Steph, Christine, Anna and Caitlin munching Chinese food and watching part of In the Air (bootlegged, of course!). I then headed back to my room to read in bed, something I haven’t had time to do in ages! 
For pictures of Palermo, Monreale and Cefalu', check out these albums on Facebook!!
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=382254&id=500755531&l=c5e2cabb82
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=382262&id=500755531&l=58ab9fb8af
Part TWO on the way!
BACIONE
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